Nov. 24, 2006
Stanford, Calif. - Third-ranked Stanford (24-3,15-2) secured a portion of the Pac-10 Conference title with a three-game sweep of second-ranked Washington (24-4, 14-3), 30-27, 30-15, 31-29. Senior outside hitter Kristin Richards led the Cardinal with 13 kills, while junior setter Bryn Kehoe recorded 38 assists and a career-high eight blocks.
Richards opened game one with an ace to kick off a 4-1 Cardinal run that included kills from Kehoe and sophomore Cynthia Barboza. Washington rallied back within a point on a kill by Stevie Mussie, tying the game at 8 on a tip by Christal Morrison in the middle. The Huskies took the lead on an attacking error, continuing on a 5-0 streak. Following a timeout, Richards pounded a kill from the left side to spark a 3-1 run and tie the game at 11. Morrison ended a marathon rally with a kill down the left line, 14-13, but sophomore Foluke Akinradewo answered with a powerful kill in the middle as both teams continued to exchange the lead. Washington used a 3-0 lead on kills by Mussie and Morrison to pull ahead, 20-17. Richards then collected a tip to lead the Cardinal on its own 3-0 run to tie the game again at 20 and force the Huskies into a timeout. Stanford regained the lead with a block from Kehoe and Akinradewo, followed by a quick kill by Akinradewo, 23-21. The Cardinal pulled ahead, 25-22, with another kill by Akinradewo on the right side. Richards and junior Erin Waller pounded two aces on the right side, then Stanford claimed game one on a serving error, 30-27.
In game two, Stanford opened to a 4-0 lead with a kill from junior Franci Girard and a block solo from Barboza. Swarbrick came out of a timeout with a kill for the Huskies, but Barboza tallied another kill to spark a 3-0 run, 7-1. Washington collected back-to-back points on two kills by Jill Collymore, but the Cardinal continued to lead with a kill by Waller on the left side, 9-3. Stanford pulled out another 9-2 run that included a powerful kill from Akinradewo in the middle and a block from Kehoe to pull away from the Huskies, 18-5. Washington put together a 3-1 run on two kills and an ace by Swarbrick, but Barboza put Stanford ahead, 21-11, with a powerful kill down the middle. Collymore recorded a kill on the left side, but Richards answered with a massive kill, 25-14. Kehoe later sparked a 4-0 run with a tip in the middle to help Stanford near the win. The Cardinal wrapped up game two on a mishandled ball, 30-15. Stanford hit .517 in game two with 16 kills.
Richards kicked off game three with another ace, followed by a block from Kehoe and Akinradewo to spark a 3-0 run. Collymore and Janine Sandell registered kills to help the Huskies tie the game at 4, but Stanford followed with back-to-back points, including a block by Barboza and Girard, 6-4. Morrison later put Washington within a point with a kill on the left side, but a block by Akinradewo and Kehoe and a tip by Kehoe in the middle kept Stanford in the lead, 11-8. The Huskies tied the game at 12 on a block by Sandell and Swarbrick, taking the lead on a massive kill by Swarbrick on the right side. A kill by Waller on the right side and a powerful ace from Barboza put the Cardinal back on top, 15-14. Washington continued to fight, taking an 18-16 lead on another kill by Collymore and a block by Courtney Thompson and Alesha Deesing. Girard later nailed a kill down the right line, followed by a kill from Waller on the right side. Kehoe put the Cardinal within a point with a tip, then Kehoe and Akinradewo tied the game at 21 with a block. Following a timeout, Stanford continued on a 7-0 run with a block and a kill to tie the game again at 24 on an attack error. The Cardinal maintained a narrow lead on kills by Akinradewo and Barboza, 27-26. Richards put the game within reach with two kills, but Washington tied it at 29 on an error. Following a Husky serving error, Akinradewo and Kehoe put up a block to cinch the game and match for Stanford, 31-29.
Richards led the Cardinal attack with 13 kills, followed by Akinradewo with 11 kills and Barboza with 10 kills. Kehoe paced the squad with eight blocks, followed by Akinradewo with six as Stanford tallied 12 team blocks. Barboza led the team with 18 of Stanford's 79 digs, while Kehoe, Richards, senior Nji Nnamani and sophomore Jessica Fishburn all tallied double-digit digs.
Stanford wraps up the regular season against Washington State tomorrow at 7:00 pm on Senior Night. A win tomorrow night will give the Cardinal sole possession of the Pac-10 Conference title.
GAME SCORES123TEAM RECORDS Washington(0)27152924-4, 14-3 Stanford(3)30303124-3, 15-2